Building your author platform—Connections
Posted By Sue Collier on July 7, 2010
Guest blogger: Dana Lynn Smith
This post, the third of a three-part series on building an author platform, highlights the importance of connections. Part one of this author platform series covers branding, while part two discusses reputation.
When selling your book, it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know!
To sell books in today’s marketplace, you need to be connected. Here are some examples of the type of connections that are valuable to authors in promoting their books and themselves:
Contact Database – Clients, prospects, colleagues, friends, and family.
Opt-in Mailing List – People who have given you permission to contact them.
Influencers – Celebrities, well-known people in your field, book reviewers, media, and bloggers.
Online Networks – Connections on Facebook, Twitter and other online networks, groups and forums.
Blog Readers – People who read your blog or subscribe to the blog’s feed.
Professional Associations – Fellow association members and leaders. Serving in a leadership position enhances your visibility within the organization.
Other Groups – Alumni associations, civic and service organizations, hobby clubs, etc.
What can you do to increase your connections and leverage the connections that you have? How can you partner with others to extend your reach?
Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of several book marketing guides, including The Savvy Book Marketer’s Guide to Successful Social Marketing. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana’s blog at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com, and get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free newsletter at www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com.
About The Author
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In order to increase your connection, you also have to be open to a lot of opportunities. Be visible in social media networks and always share some help. Social media networks are a great source of connection and by establishing a professional and helpful you, people will eventually like to be your friend.
Also try to know fellow authors and be friends with them. Other authors should not become a competition but rather a friend sharing similar interest with you. Their connections can also be your connections.